\+/ Tales From Night City \+/ Chapter 62 - Heart To Heart
Carter sits on the roof of his apartment complex alone in a lawn chair overlooking a bustling district late night after being dropped off. A light drizzle of rain has checked in for the night shift as he swigs his beer. Carter glances over to an empty lawn chair beside him. He hears the feint giggle of a woman in his head causing him to restlessly get out of the chair, walk to the edge of the roof and put his foot on the edge of the overhang. He calmly watches the path the raindrops travel as he stares down at the 5 story dead drop below him. He sees the roofs of cars casually driving by and the tops of several neon umbrellas as he takes another swig of his beer. The woman's voice then echos in his head at the end of a long conversation:
"Babe… Listen to me... Whether you decide to stay with them or walk away doesn't matter… I'm... I'm going to be… wherever you are… I'm yours Carter... You know that."
He then hears his own voice: "Like i said before doll... This is it. My last ride... then we're outta here. We've talked about this….. You know that."
"Memory fades as time changes my love... I just want…. I just want you to be careful. Be careful of what you choose to hold onto…... I choose to hold onto you." She replies in a whisper.
Hearing this causes him to slam the beer bottle on the roof shattering it as the stray sounds of the city take back over and he puts his hands on his head... racked with guilt. The drizzle quickly turns to rain, masking his tears as the rolling thunder creeps into the atmosphere.
The gentle pattering of rain taps on the windows of Audrey's clinic. Brian leaned up against a wall with his arms crossed stares out the window in deep thought as he hears Zaunya's voice in his head: "You wanna talk about trust..? I don't even know who the fuck you are." This causes him to look back at her passed out on Audrey's ripper chair with Audrey jacked in and working on her. He goes back to looking out the window but only briefly before breaking the silence.
"How is she." He asks Audrey in a serious tone as he walks over.
"Not sure... I'm doing a full scan.. not really finding anything fucked with... but they hit her with some serious drugs…. anesthetics… Don't really know why… Fucking monsters. I almost thought that-"
"And how are you." Brian asks cutting her off.
They both pause for a clear moment as the light sounds of beeping machines and Audrey rummaging through tools in a drawer are heard... She doesn't respond, so he continues.
"What happened in there." He asks in a deep, soft tone while looking away... She ignores him before another clear pause and rumbling thunder.
"Audrey..."
She ignores him.
"Do you wanna talk about it?"
She pauses even longer as the room sits quiet to the sound of pattering rain on the windows.
"No..." She finally replies in a soft, emotional tone while still working on Zaunya.
This hits Brian hard. Feeling the personal responsibility behind her hurt. The lack of information tortures his imagination. After another extended period of tense silence, she changes subject.
"Who the fuck were those guys.." Audrey says as she disconnects from Zaunya's neuro port and gently lays her head down. Zaunya rolls over onto her side facing her back towards them in her sleep.
"Probably doin' merc work for the scavs based on the shit i saw in there. They had me in some sort of… holding or interrogation room. Could be like some pre-screening shit they do before they rip. Saw a bunch of equipment and uhhmm.." Brian stops himself and looks away causing Audrey to glance back at him
"What is it?"
"...Found a girl in there... couldn't have been a day older than 20." Brian says causing Audrey to turn and look at him. He continues.
"She um..." Brian lightly shakes his head and looks away as he fails to express the words. Audrey picks up on this but says nothing as the pair share a long silence together while some time passes... allowing the heavy rain on the windows to take back over. Audrey eventually breaks the silence.
"Well..."
"Well what." He replies.
Audrey looks back at him in the eyes without saying anything. The expression on her face is more than enough for him to pick up on what shes implying. The message of this look is clearly read by him in her eyes. Brian continues.
"The choom who helped me clean the place. Carter. Told me hes got history with these gonks. Apparently shit runs deep. They're seriously stacked…but he said he knows where they stash their shit... guess they never planned on him livin' to tell about it. Should be able to find all of our dues there... everything that we're owed... there's-" Audrey slowly stands up, causing Brian to abruptly stop speaking as she slowly steps towards him maintaining deep eye contact. The heavy taps of her boots on the linoleum close the distance between her and Brian. She stands before him… face to face.
"We have to finish it." She says in a serious tone looking Brian deep in his eyes.
Brian gives Audrey a silent nod before she steps past him to walk outside.
Some time has passed and the bright lights of Audrey's clinic have gone dim while the various machines purr idle. After everything that went down in Pacifica… Zaunya's eyes open slowly as she wakes up. She quickly notices that shes in Audrey's shop which calms her. She rolls over onto her side to see Brian right next to her in Audrey's chair soundly asleep…..
The sentiment hits Zaunya hard as she lays there looking at him….. Having someone who cares about her in this way is a foreign concept to her… One she doesn't fully understand. Almost like shes only been taught what it is… as apposed to experiencing it. The life of a sworn shield to a megacorp like PetroChem is home to no sentimental bonds or camaraderie. She breaks the silence in her alluring, gruff, feminine voice.
"I've had PetroChem special security agents chrome-wiped for falling asleep on shift." She says in a soft, groggy tone with a smile gently waking Brian up. He sees Zaunya laying on her side facing him with her soft smile watching him stir awake. He quickly sits up at the edge of his seat as he slowly comes too and instinctually leans closer to her. He gently grabs both of her hands holding them tight. He looks at her with a soft grin as she smiles.
"Hey..." She says in a soft tone looking deep into his eyes.
"Hey..." He says in a deep soft tone. Continuing to smile.
They share a brief pause while continuing to stare at each other. The sound of them both softly giggling breaks the silence.
"Are you ok?" Brian asks finishing his giggle.
"Hard to say... Feels like… a hell of a hangover. Like… i've been wandering the streets skezzed out of my mind for days….. Who-… who were they?"
"Had to be scavs. They had scattered chrome and tech hardware from rips and convoy raids... place was a mess. Had me chained up in some sort of processing area. Interrogations and beatdowns for information going on. Felt like it was a structure. A system they had been runnin' for a while based on how they ran it. Saw some serious shit in there. A young lady had um... had been tortured to death. I.. there was nothing i could do for her."
Zaunya pauses briefly while processing all of the information before responding. Causing the pattering rain on the windows to take back over for a bit.
"...Are they all dead?"
Brian says nothing as Zaunya continues to look at him.
"Brian?"
He pauses briefly. "We don't think so."
"Then they'll be looking for us." Zaunya says in a groggy tone while holding her head, getting up slowly and sitting on the edge of the ripperdoc chair while Brian gently helps her.
The two share a silence together as Zaunya stretches and takes a few deep breaths checking herself over. The sound of rolling thunder enters the room as the intensity of rain on the windows picks up. Brian sits back in his chair… still looking directly at her as she gathers herself. The discomfort in his body builds along with the hesitation… Struggling to get the words out... now leaning forward toward her in the chair.
"Listen, I... I haven't... I haven't taken the time to explain.... ev-... Everything i..."
Zaunya's attention is immediately raised and a serious look washes over her as she listens to a genuine tone in Brian's voice that she's never heard before. After everything…. after all this time, and up to this point, she had resided herself to believing a side like this to him didn't even exist. He continues.
"...The last thing I ever wanted was for you to not-"
Brian is cutoff to the sound of the entrance door to the clinic sliding open causing them both to look over at it. Audrey rushes into the clinic with a look of panic on her face. She quickly puts her index finger over her lips with her eyes wide open, gesturing the both of them to stay quiet. As she rushes over to them, they both quickly get up. Audrey pushes and motions them to a trap door in the floor in the back storage room of the clinic. She raises the trap door as Zaunya quickly follows Brian down. Audrey and Zaunya share a look of panic with each other without saying anything. As the pair descend down the ladder, Audrey closes the trap door.
Audrey is next seen pacing back and forth in the clinic briefly with a smoke in hand. She takes deep drags as she attempts to gather herself. Soon after, she hears a ring of the doorbell causing her to look over at the entrance. Zaunya and Brian turn their attention to a small drain hole on the cieling leading into the clinic allowing them to hear Audrey's boots tap on the linoleum walking toward the entrance. Although no visibilty, they're able to hear fairly well.
Audrey slides the door open and is met face to face with Molly Seeker with her signature grin plastered on her face. The sight of her startles Audrey and gives her pause but she does a great job of masking it.
"Hey doc!" Molly says in a bright tone.
"Mind if I come in? Any longer out here and I just might start dancing in it!" She says with a chuckle as the crackling thunder errupts alongside the downpour of rain.
"Please! By all means!" Audrey says matching her tone.
Molly enters and takes a deep breathe of relief while slowly removing her black overcoat. Audrey watches her from behind checking out her toned body through her tight, black corpo skirt hugging her curves. She can't help herself as she slowly gazes at the back of her neck all the way down to her black high heels while shes shifting her weight. She notices the beginning of a large back tattoo starting at the bottom of her neck. As Molly unties her long white hair and lightly shakes it out, it covers it. To Audrey, It was almost as if she was moving in slow motion. Molly then rests the overcoat on Audrey's desk before removing her black leather gloves and tossing them on top of the coat.
"How's business doc? Good?" Molly asks while glancing around the room and pacing about.
"Oh, fine… Just fine. Never a shortage of traffic through this place.. Is.. uhm… is everything alright?"
Molly doesn't respond.
After glancing about the clinic and satisfying her instinct to look around in a very nosy fashion, assuring no one else is there. She takes a seat in Audrey's chair.
"Please. Sit with me" Molly says causing Audrey to grab one of the stools in the clinic and pull it up next to her. As she drags the stool across the floor, Brian and Zaunya quickly glance at each other remaining silent.
"What's goin' on?" Audrey asks while doing her best to mask her nervous adrenaline. The anticipation of yet another unexpected visit has her mind racing. Their first interaction with each other truly fucked with Audrey's head and returned to her a lot of long buried paranoia. Her history with PetroChem is extremely convoluted to say the least. An entity that has both given and taken everything away from her. She wonders what could've happened if they hadn't even come to the shop themselves that night. Could she possibly already know about the scavs? Or worse... Zaunya? The rampant speculation in her mind builds to peak as Molly finally breaks the silence.
"You're... you're from Night City.. right?"
The question completely catches Audrey off guard and instinctually eases a significant amount of her built up tension while raising confusion.
"Uhm... Yeah. Born n Raised. I mean, i've done my fair share of traveling over the years of course but this is certainly home without question. Why?"
Molly pauses for a while as the heavy rain and rolling thunder fills the dead silence…
"I've been having….. these….. feelings.. these... sensations."
Brian and Zaunya glance at each other again as they continue to listen closely. Audrey looks on at Molly attentively with now genuine concern as a doctor... She continues.
"I can't… really explain them? Lately, when i've found myself alone out here I... I don't... really feel alone…? If that makes sense…? Whenever I take the time look at or admire the place it just... i don't know. Its like... staring back at me. Calling to me... gripping." Molly concludes in a soft tone before looking at Audrey with a genuine look masking concern... An unfamiliar look to Audrey.
Audrey takes a deep breath while shifting her weight on the stool. She responds.
"Something people tend to say to those not from here is that Night City often has a promise of something for you. Doesn't really matter what that 'something' is to you specifically. To some, it might be a lie. An illusion. But its there. Right around the corner at any given time, in any given place. Whether its someONE, somePLACE, or someTHING. It can find out who you truly are and reveal it to yourself. If it has you... it…. it doesn't let go... Not without a cost."
Molly listens closely to Audrey's words with an attentive look of fear on her face… A look we've never seen on her before. She breaks eye contact… thinking deeply. She hesitates, but speaks in a fearful tone Audrey's never heard before.
"But... but what if- " Molly is interrupted by the sound of a holocall coming in, causing her eyes to glow orange. She quickly turns her head to the side and answers with a shifted tone more in line with what Audrey is used to hearing.
= Seeker. What is it. =
= uh huh. =
= Copy that. I'll be right out. Give me a minute. = Molly ends the holocall and turns back toward Audrey.
Before she continues to speak to Audrey, she notices her staring directly at the subtle red blood stain on her white dress shirt. Audrey then catches a glimpse at the deep bite marks on Molly's chest through her loosely buttoned dress shirt along with the fading redness on her throat…. it startles her. Molly instinctually quickly tries to cover herself up.
"Do you um... Want me to take a look at tha-"
"I've uh, I gotta go doc. Thanks for the um… I'll um…. I'll see you later." Molly says as she quickly stands up and grabs her overcoat and gloves before heading out the entrance back into the pouring rain. Audrey takes a deep sigh of relief as she sits back in her chair overwhelmed trying to process the interaction as she hears the trap door slowly opening with Brian and Zaunya returning.
Molly quickly gets back into her Chevillon Emporer with Manny waiting at the steering wheel for her. The rain pounds the windows of the Emporer while she stares at the entrance to Audrey's clinic as Manny speaks.
"Got the heat on for ya ma'am. Everything go smooth?"
"Yeah uh… Yeah, everythings fine." She says in a distracted tone.
"Good. Boards waiting ma'am." Manny says as he and the city slowly pull her away from the Clinic... The various glowing, neon lights of Night City enter Molly's eyes as they make their way through the streets... away from help.